A Letter to Ran
by HopeGrace1290
Summary: Conan finds a way to express his feelings to Ran on her birthday. One-shot.


**AH! I was like, OMG, when I realised I forgot to write(type) a fic for Ran's birthday yesterday(October 1) and so I hastily racked something up to write for her. So… Yeah, this is not very well done. Oh well.**

* * *

Edogawa Conan was in a serious plight. It was Mouri Ran's birthday tomorrow, and he had yet figured out a way to celebrate with her. In his real form, that is.

He plonked down on the couch in Mouri's Detective Agency, a chin propped up on a hand while a frown emerged on his 6-year-old countenance. Options were thoroughly pondered upon, but one by one they were dismissed. He could take the temporary antidote given by Haibara Ai, but there was always the peril of metamorphosing back to his current state without advance warning. And he did not trust himself to tear himself away from Ran's much cherished company. Besides, Haibara had cautioned him that the more of that antidote he consumed, the more immune his body would be towards it. He did not want that to happen.

That left him with next to nothing.

A sound at the door interjected his thoughts. His head shot up, and his cerulean eyes assumed a bright innocent look fitting of his apparent age. A childish smile completed the façade.

"Tadaima!" Ran announced, placing her shoes at the shoe rack before walking into the detective agency also known as her domicile. She sent Conan a smile and chucked her schoolbag away.

"How was school?" she asked, initiating a conversation as she sat down opposite Conan.

"It was fun! Today I learned about multiplications and divisions!" Conan exclaimed, inwardly groaning at those tedious subjects. "We also…"

Conan stopped, realising with a start that his lone audience was hardly paying attention. His smile dropped, noting the gloomy sparkle in those lovely azure orbs and the lack of customary smile on her beautiful lips. At his sudden silence, though, those despondent irises regained their vivacity.

"Oh, gomMen, what were you saying Conan-kun?" she asked, beaming amicably at him. Somehow the smile did not reach her eyes.

"I-It was nice," Conan shrugged off the question absent-mindedly, still caught up with how glum Ran looked.

"Oh," Ran said. What Conan was thinking must have been written all over his face because Ran commented next, "Daijobu, Conan-kun. You don't have to worry about me."

Conan drew in a deep breath and bit his lower lip, saying, "Shinichi-niichan remembers your birthday."

Ran's eyes widened in surprise. Lips curved into a gentle smile.

"Wakatta, Conan-kun. Wakatta."

Silence ensued as Ran's eyes misted over again. Suddenly she remarked, "That's one of the wonderful things about him."

"Are?"

Ran grinned warmly. "You know, Shinichi never remembers his own birthday. Never ever. Demo… He never forgets my birthday. It makes me feel very special."

Conan's heart skipped a beat. His mouth parted slightly, eyebrows shooting up and eyes inundated with anxiety. But he shut them, his features relaxed.

"That is because you ARE special to him," he murmured.

Ran suddenly got up and enveloped his minuscule figure with a hug. She whispered, "Arigato, Conan-kun. I don't know why, but that coming from you means a lot to me."

Smiling wistfully, he hugged her back.

_If only you knew, Ran…_

* * *

Ran woke up the next morning feeling not at all refreshed. Unwilling to get out of bed, she sat halfway up and grasped the bedspread up to her chest, basking in the softness of her bed and the warmth of the blanket.

_It's my birthday…_

For once in her life, those words brought no joy to her. All she could think about was that Shinichi would not be there, that this was the first birthday she could remember where he would be absent.

That positively broke her heart.

A knock on the door jolted her back to consciousness.

"DozO," she said. The door opened to reveal Conan, holding a pink envelope in his hand.

"Ran-neechan, this came by mail this morning. There was no stamp or address though. I think the sender put it in the mailbox himself," Conan said, walking up to her and presenting her with the envelope.

Ran acquired the envelope and read the words: 'To Mouri Ran' on it. Something struck her.

_This handwriting… Masaka…_

"I'll leave now, Ran-neechan," Conan excused himself and closed the door behind him. Ran hardly heard him – her attention was wholly captivated by the envelope. As soon as she recapitulated her senses, she ripped open the envelope.

_Dear Ran,_

_I'm sorry I can't make it to your birthday this year. Honto ni gommenasai! I'm still all jumbled up with a case. But I want you to know, I never did, and never will, forget your birthday. It's engraved into my heart and it will never disappear._

_That's how much you mean to me._

_Kudo Shinichi_

The letter did not make her feel any better. If anything, she felt worse. He managed to send this letter here himself, and he would not even come up and tell her this himself? And he dared claim that she meant a lot to him?

It was outright lying!

Tears sprang to her eyes, cascading down onto the sheets, wetting the letter in the process. The written words become blotched. Ran panicked.

Jumping out of bed, she rapidly wiped the letter with a tissue. Suddenly, something caught her eyes.

Written under Shinichi's name were three figures. XXX

Ran knew very well what that denoted. How could she not know? For a second, she doubted whether Shinichi knew what he was inscribing down on the letter.

_Ie, Shinichi's not the kind of person who would write down something like that without comprehending its significance. He really means it._

_He really means it._

A smile blossomed on her face, previous tears drying up quicker than you can say 'Armageddon'. She pressed down her lips on the X's, clutching the letter close to her heart.

* * *

Conan paced up and down outside Ran's bedroom, hoping to goodness that the letter cheered her up come what may. He had put a lot of thought in it, not wanting to raise her hopes too much in case they got crashed again and yet, endeavouring to convey his feelings to her.

The door swung open, startling Conan.

"Ran-neechan!" he screamed.

"Ohayo, Conan-kun. What would you like for breakfast today? Cereal? Milk? I'll make them for you right away!" Ran pranced off into the kitchen, unaware of the pair of navy eyes following her intently.

Conan grinned. The letter worked after all.

_A smile suits you best._

_Otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu, Ran._


End file.
